Steering at 65+, yall good? (1 Viewer)

[desertwampa]

I'm very close to pulling the trigger on a 97 Lx..2.5" OME, on 35" wildpeaks. Seller says steering wanders a little bit after 60mph. I'm out of state so can't test for.myself.

I've also reviewed some of the posts on here, so have a good idea it's either toe adjustment, or various parts to replace.

My question is, can I ever get rid of the wander totally? do any of your 80s NOT wander at 70-90 mph?

 

[voodu3]

To answer your question yes you should be able to drive it at 65+ mph without wandering. Has the seller done an alignment after the lift was installed with a printout of the current specs? It probably needs caster correction and or tie rod ends replaced.

 

[ChaseTruck]

… do any of your 80s NOT wander at 70-90 mph?

Neither of our two 80s wander; similar lift, 315 ProComp MTs.

 

[slow95z]

mine is terrible but thats because i dont have enough caster correction. there are several ways to fix it just mine never needs to go over 65 so i have been lazy about it.

 

[COYS]

If set up correctly, the 80 should drive straight as an arrow with minimal correction at 90 mph even lifted on 37s.

Any other result is just another excuse for not knowing wth you’re doing.

Gl!

 

[SpenserAK]

My OME J lift (from the PO) left the unloaded truck sitting at 4.5". With caster plates (probably slightly deficient at that), drop brackets, delta 3" rear panhard bracket & DC front shaft, it drove really well. It's easier at 2.5", so should be able to be sorted. Bushings/etc are another thing. They should be kept in good shape regardless.

 

[Fosters]

I can hit 90mph with 37” tires and have no worries regarding steering…
That said I replace virtually everything connected to the front axle to ensure that

 

[mudgudgeon]

If set up correctly, the 80 should drive straight as an arrow with minimal correction at 90 mph even lifted on 37s.

Any other result is just another excuse for not knowing wth you’re doing.

Gl!

This ^^^

When the front end is dialed in (caster, alignment, maintenance) you should be able to drive with a light grip on the wheel at any speed

 

[Marvelicious]

Pretty similar setup for lift and tire size in mine. It has caster correction bushings and tracks great on a flat straight road. It doesn't have anything else, so it will wander on an extremely bumpy road and dart a bit under hard braking. I suspect a drop bracket for the rear panhard should solve some of that. I've only had the rig a few months, so I'm still getting a feel for where it needs work and tackling one thing at a time. I may have some worn suspension parts, but they're clearly not severe enough to be an emergency.

 

[mudgudgeon]

Pretty similar setup for lift and tire size in mine. It has caster correction bushings and tracks great on a flat straight road. It doesn't have anything else, so it will wander on an extremely bumpy road and dart a bit under hard braking. I suspect a drop bracket for the rear panhard should solve some of that. I've only had the rig a few months, so I'm still getting a feel for where it needs work and tackling one thing at a time. I may have some worn suspension parts, but they're clearly not severe enough to be an emergency.

Correction bushings won't bring you back to stock caster with 2.5" lift.
You probably have some positive caster, but the darting under brakes suggests not enough.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

I'm very close to pulling the trigger on a 97 Lx..2.5" OME, on 35" wildpeaks. Seller says steering wanders a little bit after 60mph. I'm out of state so can't test for.myself.

I've also reviewed some of the posts on here, so have a good idea it's either toe adjustment, or various parts to replace.

My question is, can I ever get rid of the wander totally? do any of your 80s NOT wander at 70-90 mph?

What voodu3 said: "Has the seller done an alignment after the lift was installed with a printout of the current specs?"

Ask them this question, followed up by questioning whether they're familiar with the caster correction issue.

Mine steers very nicely at any speed (although I've never gone 90), but then it's not lifted.

 

[Marvelicious]

Correction bushings won't bring you back to stock caster with 2.5" lift.
You probably have some positive caster, but the darting under brakes suggests not enough.

I'm sure it's not all the way negative: I know what that feels like and it's pretty terrifying, but I'm sure it isn't back to OEM. Dart is probably a strong word, however I can tell you that it consistently wants to point the front end to the right if I REALLY hammer the brakes. Since the rear panhard isn't level to start and gets less so as the back comes up, the panhard angle shifts the rear of the cabin to the left, relative to the rear axle and front end. No point in arguing about it though... changing out the bushings for plates AND the panhard bracket were always on my list. It's a work in progress and not a daily driver. I'm still figuring out where the PO did things right and where he didn't.

 

[COYS]

I'm sure it's not all the way negative: I know what that feels like and it's pretty terrifying, but I'm sure it isn't back to OEM. Dart is probably a strong word, however I can tell you that it consistently wants to point the front end to the right if I REALLY hammer the brakes. Since the rear panhard isn't level to start and gets less so as the back comes up, the panhard angle shifts the rear of the cabin to the left, relative to the rear axle and front end. No point in arguing about it though... changing out the bushings for plates AND the panhard bracket were always on my list. It's a work in progress and not a daily driver. I'm still figuring out where the PO did things right and where he didn't.

Instead of going by feels, possibly invest in a pro alignment so you can work off of hard data.

Caster correction bushings are hot .

 

[mudgudgeon]

@Marvelicious
2.5" of lift will change caster by ~4.5⁰.
Correction bushings give 2⁰ max.
You'll probably be very close to zero caster

I've never used a panhard correction bracket, and never had funky handling. That being said, will probably use one on my current 80 when it gets a 2" lift eventually. Any improvement in handling is worth while.

@COYS is right though, hard data is valuable.
It will save you some guess work, or help you prioritize what to make changes with

 

[jwbc84]

When i first saw the title I thought this thread was going to be about the difficulties of steering as you get older. As silly as I feel I thought I'd share so other could get a laugh.

 

[Marvelicious]

Instead of going by feels, possibly invest in a pro alignment so you can work off of hard data.

Caster correction bushings are hot .

I mean... eventually , but I know it needs doing because math. I'd rather save the alignment for when it will do some good.

 

[77mustard40]

I’ve got 3.5”s of lift and was set up with 2.5” plates to correct caster, the truck was fine but not great. Fast forward to DVS 4” control arms and the truck is solid at 75-80 mph. My money is on the caster correction, it’s the single biggest factor for steering (and braking) correction with a lifted 80. Yeah other elements are in play such as tie rods and panard rod length but caster is king.

 

[desertwampa]

thanks for the input yallz. Once I get it, I'll take it in for a proper alignment and read out..go from there.

 

[mudgudgeon]

thanks for the input yallz. Once I get it, I'll take it in for a proper alignment and read out..go from there.

Be aware, an alignment on these trucks will only be toe in / toe out. And a read out of all other numbers.

To change anything else requires aftermarket parts.

 

[NorCalFJ100]

If set up correctly, the 80 should drive straight as an arrow with minimal correction at 90 mph even lifted on 37s.

Any other result is just another excuse for not knowing wth you’re doing.

Gl!

I can vouch for this as well! Except I run 35s But an effortless full send on the California highways!!!!